Welcome to Mainly 28s...

The current crop of pictures is a little "iffy", but they are improving as I get practise, though. If there are any suggestions on how I can improve them, or if you have contributions, feel free to contact me. I'll also happily host "outside" reviews, as well as games.

Due to my recent mini-stroke, my wargaming's been toned down... I'll be adding stuff to this site, but randomly.

Please have a look at my blog for an unreserved apology to Brad Turner.

So, What is Mainly 28s... then?

'So', I see you asking, 'what is this "Mainly 28s..."? What's it good for?'
Well, it's intended to be a site which will allow gamers or figure collectors with an interest in 28mm figures to see the average appearance of a range of figures by a manufacturer. As the title says, I'm dedicating the site to the figures and terrain variously labelled as 25mm or 28mm, or even "heroic 25mm", and the vehicles that go with these (usually labelled as 1:60th, 1:56th or 28mm). I plan to eventually include as many figures, vehicles and terrain as I can lay my grubby mitts on, in as many periods as I can. As far as 1:48th and 1:43rd vehicles and figures are concerned- while there are a number of gamers who prefer using vehicles in these scales with their figures, I'm not one of them, and, as I don't buy these items, I'll only review them if they are sent to me as samples. I do have a few pages of these larger items, though, as reviewed and compared by Mike Reese in the USA, sprinkled about.
The various sub-sections here contain reviews of figures (many of them items I've bought for my own personal use, although there are voluntary contributions from various manufacturers and other sources), as well as articles relating to various rules I use (some of which I've helped develop) and some battle reports. There are also a few galleries of painted figures and terrain, my suggestions of which figures will work together in armies and, probably most importantly to most of you, links to the various manufacturers' websites and club-sites. In most cases, clicking on the picture will either take you to the relevant review or article, and there is always at least one link on each page to the manufacturer/distributor in question.

While I have attempted to remain fair and even-handed in most reviews, I'd better point out that most of the views here are coloured by my personal opinions, so you may differ from me in yours. Let me know if your opinion differs vastly from mine, and maybe we can edit the reviews in order to best provide fair and unbiased help anyone who reads them.

What is a "28mm" figure?

Before anything else, we need to look at the meaning of the word "scale". It is usually a variation on "a proportion used in determining the dimensional relationship of a representation to that which it represents".
Some scales are given as a ratio, written as either a ratio (e.g. 1:60) or a fraction (e.g. 1/60). The number on the right of the pair indicates how many units (mm) on the original are equivalent to one unit on the replica. For example, with a 1:60 scale miniature, if the miniature is 10mm long, then the original was 600mm long.

Other scales are simply listed as a certain height, such as 25mm or 28mm (these days 28mm is almost the "industry norm"). Most people usually think of this as being the height of an average man (i.e., in 28mm scale, men are 28mm high), but there is a lot of confusion on this issue- even among the manufacturers themselves.
According to some experts, "traditional" figure heights are measured to eye level, since measuring to the top of the head is impractical for figures wearing headgear. Therefore, when a manufacturer says their figures are 25mm scale, they might mean 25mm to top of the head or 25mm to eye level.
Here, then, is our first problem- the miniatures we're so lovingly collecting are not scale miniatures, because they are "28mm" miniatures. So- we need to establish what scale they are.

The common "size ranges"

Just to show the relative difference in sizes...

The figures shown here are, from left to right, a CP Models 20mm figure, a Battle Honors 25mm figure, an Artizan 28mm figure, A VFM 30mm figure and a North Star 1:48th figure.

The system I have used to describe the figures everywhere on this site (besides the actual scan), is the "Barrett Measuring System" or "Barrett Scale", which was the brainchild of Dick Bryant, editor of the Courier.